We are having a Great Year in the Garden!!

Last year we grew and donated a near record 16,300 pounds of organic produce. This year we are doing even better. How much better? Well, as of August 12, 2020, we had donated 4,200 pounds. This year, as of August 13 we have donated 7,600 pounds!

We came to the garden on Monday and there it was…A big thank you to the anonymous donor of this new wheelbarrow!

Name that Vegetable Contest….no one guessed correctly this year
Our mystery vegetable was a giallo squash. It originates in Italy. We tried the ‘monster’ variety which regularly grows to over 5 pounds. This one weighed nearly 45 pounds!

Watering and harvesting…can you help?

Volunteer times in the garden are as follows:

To volunteer in the garden, please sign-up at:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4AA9A82EA6F58-faith

Why sign-up? It helps us to plan our activities and to communicate, especially when the weather looks bad and we need to cancel.

There are also opportunities to volunteer in the garden by appointment, contact Mark Marshall at 988-5381 or wdmmarshall@msn.com to arrange a convenient time.

We ask that volunteers coming to the garden observe the CDC’s guidelines. If you are not fully vaccinated and wish to volunteer, please let us know and we will arrange to make your time in the garden safe for all.

As always, volunteers should dress for the weather, wear hard soled shoes, and bring garden gloves if you have them. Gloves are also available at the garden if you do not have them.

If you cannot volunteer your time, consider a financial donation to continue this important work. Send your check to St. Timothy’s, 1020 24th Street, West Des Moines, IA, 50266. Please note Faith & Grace Garden in the memo line.

Here are harvest and donation results through August 21

Need Vegetable Plants for Your Garden?

Free tomato, eggplant, and a few other varieties of vegetable plants are available for pick-up from the Faith & Grace Garden Greenhouse. Text Mark Marshall 515-988-5381 with questions or to arrange a convenient pick-up time.

Spring planting is now over…here’s what is growing in the garden:

So far, we have planted cabbages (1,100), onions (5,000), tomatoes (650), peppers (700), sweet potatoes (1,200) plus lettuce, blueberries, cucumbers, spinach, beets, garlic, asparagus, zucchini, and radishes in the garden.

Next, we will be planting melons and squash.

Summer watering is in full swing…can you help?

Weather forecasts calling for a hot and dry summer this year seem to be coming true.. We are busily installing a drip irrigation system in the garden, starting with the tomato patch. But we need watering help! Even an hour a week will make a big difference.

Volunteer times in the garden are as follows:

To sign-up to volunteer, go here.

Why sign-up? It helps us to plan our activities and to communicate, especially when the weather looks bad and we need to cancel.

There are also opportunities to volunteer in the garden by appointment, text Mark Marshall to arrange a convenient time.

We ask that volunteers coming to the garden observe the CDC’s guidelines. If you are not fully vaccinated and wish to volunteer, please let us know and we will arrange to make your time in the garden safe for all.

As always, volunteers should dress for the weather, wear hard soled shoes, and bring garden gloves if you have them. Gloves are also available at the garden if you do not have them.

If you cannot volunteer your time, consider a financial donation to continue this important work. Send your check to St. Timothy’s, 1020 24th Street, West Des Moines, IA, 50266. Please note Faith & Grace Garden in the memo line.

The Faith + Grace Garden has an abundance of starter plants to share!  Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and more!  Donations accepted!

Come to the Green House on Saturday, May 8, 9 AM- Noon | Sunday, May 9, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

Volunteer times in the garden are on Monday and Wednesday evenings. To sign-up, go to here.

There are also opportunities to volunteer in the garden by appointment, contact Mark Marshall at 988-5381 or wdmmarshall@msn.com or Tim Goldman at 745-9842 or timothyjgoldman@gmail.com

We ask that volunteers coming to the garden observe the CDC’s guidelines,  Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) including frequent handwashing, and avoiding direct physical exchanges with other gardeners. Most importantly, if you are feeling ill, have family members or friends who are ill, have been to a location where COVID-19 is prevalent, or are at-risk or immunocompromised, please refrain from volunteering in the garden.

As always, volunteers should dress for the weather, wear hard soled shoes, and bring garden gloves if you have them. Gloves are also available at the garden if you do not have them.

Celebrating over 20 Years of Feeding the Hungry!

Garden Clean Up Day – Saturday November 7th 2020, 1 – 5 PM

Come join us this Saturday for a beautiful, sunny afternoon in the Faith & Grace Garden. We will be removing the old tomato, pepper, and other plants from the garden, putting away tools, fall fertilizing, etc.

Please stop by for 30 minutes, an hour, or longer, all help is greatly appreciated!

A Great Year in the Garden –
15,812 Pounds Donated to Feed the Hungry!
Right: Mark Marshall and volunteers from the Youth Justice Initiative were in the garden harvesting the last of the peppers on October 17.
Left: Rev. Nathan Williams with sons Ian and Ben of Covenant Presbyterian Church were volunteering in the garden on October 18.

We ask that volunteers coming to the garden observe the CDC’s guidelines, Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
including frequent handwashing, and avoiding direct physical exchanges with other gardeners. Most importantly, if you are feeling ill, have family members or friends who are ill, have been to a location where COVID-19 is prevalent, or are at-risk or immunocompromised, please refrain from volunteering in the garden.

As always, volunteers should dress for the weather, wear hard soled shoes, and bring garden gloves if you have them. Gloves are also available at the garden if you do not have them.

If you cannot volunteer your time, consider a financial donation to continue this important work. Send your check to St. Timothy’s, 1020 24th Street, West Des Moines, IA, 50266. Please note Faith & Grace Garden in the memo line.

Tim Goldman 515-745-9842 timothyjgoldman@gmail.com
Mark Marshall -988-5381 – wdmmarshall@msn.com

St. Timothy’s Faith & Grace Garden 2020 – Celebrating 20 Years of Feeding the Hungry
Seasons Change in the Faith & Grace Garden Greenhouse

In early March, the picture on the left shows about 20,000 seedlings were growing in the greenhouse. These seedlings were distributed at no charge to feed the local hungry. Most of the seedlings were given to refugee farmers and other donation gardens. Over 2,000 of those plants are now bearing fruit in the Faith & Grace Garden including tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, squash and melons.

In late July, the tabletops that held the seedlings were removed as shown in the picture on the right. Plants are now going into the raised beds which are below the tabletops. So far, we have 60 tomato plants and 90 peppers plants growing in the beds, and planting continues. Green beans and lettuce will be planted in late August. Fresh vegetables from the greenhouse will be available to feed the local hungry into the winter.

Help Bring In the Harvest on Friday Evenings

There are over 600 tomato plants and 1,000 pepper plants growing in the Faith & Grace Garden that are ripe and ready to pick. Can you help us on Friday evenings? We have a big food pantry delivery on Saturday morning and would love to get fresh picked veggies to them overnight.

Please follow the link below to sign-up to volunteer.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4AA9A82EA6F58-friday

We ask that volunteers coming to the garden observe the CDC’s guidelines, Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
including frequent handwashing, and avoiding direct physical exchanges with other gardeners. Most importantly, if you are feeling ill, have family members or friends who are ill, have been to a location where COVID-19 is prevalent, or are at-risk or immunocompromised, please refrain from volunteering in the garden.

As always, volunteers should dress for the weather, wear hard soled shoes, and bring garden gloves if you have them. Gloves are also available at the garden if you do not have them.

If you cannot volunteer your time, consider a financial donation to continue this important work. Send your check to St. Timothy’s, 1020 24th Street, West Des Moines, IA, 50266. Please note Faith & Grace Garden in the memo line.

We know of a gentleman with 20 years of experience in ag/greenhouse research and production. For the past nine years though, he drove a courtesy shuttle/checking in cars/performing dealer trades for a local Des Moines dealership. While at the dealership he continued his interest in container gardening, food security (food packaging, IA Hunger Summit), etc. He is currently seeking new employment in the ag/horticulture areas or in the area of local food. Please contact Tim Goldman for details and resume.

Tim Goldman 515-745-9842 timothyjgoldman@gmail.com
Mark Marshall -988-5381 – wdmmarshall@msn.com

Mark & Sandra Marshall – The Gardening Dream Team – Here are harvest and donation results through August 12